CHENNAI: At a special sitting late on Friday evening, a division bench of the Madras High Court stayed the operation of an order of the TN Pollution Control Board disconnecting power supply to the Madurai Coats, one of the leading garment manufacturers, in Ambasamudram in Tirunelveli district.
The bench of Justices S Manikumar and M Govindarajan, which granted the relief, directed the TANGEDCO to restore the power supply to the unit forthwith.
Moving the High Court at about 10 pm on Friday, the Madura Coats said that it received a notice from the TNPCB last week granting just three days to show cause why power supply should not be disconnected. Not even 15 days’ time was given to act on the show-cause notice, the firm claimed.
Additional Advocate-General submitted that the PCB had the power under Sec. 5 of the Environmental Protection Act to order closure of the unit, even without issuing a notice. The unit had not treated over 700 tons of sludge let into the nearby river, despite several warnings from the PCB, he added. The matter was adjourned to July 30.